Ramona Airport

Location

History

Community

Aviation Information

 
The Ramona Air Show
May 30 and 31, 2009

2926  Montecito Road 
Ramona, CA 92065, USA 
General Information
(760) 788-3366 
Fax Number (760) 788-7021

Location: Two miles west of Ramona on Montecito Road

History:

1943 -- Airport built by U.S. Navy as an emergency landing field.

1945 -- 4,000’ runway built by Navy.

1956 -- Airfield conveyed to County of San Diego.

1958 -- US Forest Service and California Department of Forestry opened joint Air Attack Base at Ramona Airport.

1966 -- Parallel taxiway built .

1979 -- Transient aircraft parking apron was constructed.

1995 -- First on-site manager assigned to Ramona.

2002 -- Runway extension project completed.  Extended runway and parallel taxiway to 5,000', expanded run-up area at north east corner and improved taxiway at southeast corner of airport.

2003 -- Sewer line installed at airport

2003 -- Air Traffic Control Tower project completed.  

2004 -- Tower began operation in January.

Community: 
Ramona is rural. Just ask the residents of San Diego County ’s Valley of the Sun and they’ll tell you. They like it that way. Surrounded by rock-strewn coastal mountains, the valley was first inhabited by Native Americans and then the Spanish who named it "Nuevo," meaning New. Milton Santee, who helped develop the area, changed the name to Ramona in 1884 after a popular book of the era.

With a population of over 40,000, spread over 154 square miles, the community attracts many new residents and businesses each year. It’s only 40 minutes from downtown San Diego and the beach and a half-hour away from Cuyamaca and Laguna Mountain resorts.

In 1943 the U.S. Navy built a small, dusty airstrip at what is now the Ramona Airport .  In 1956, the facility was conveyed to San Diego County and the airport has now grown to become the aviation center for community service to San Diego 's inland and mountain communities.  The Ramona Airport is the third busiest facility in the County’s system with just over 155,000 operations each year.

As Ramona's second largest employment center,  the airport is home to the California Division of Forestry's (CDF) and U.S. Forest Service's "Air Attack Base".  This facility is the area's first responder when a fire erupts.  The airport actually serves as one of Ramona's 5 fire stations.

Uncomplicated airspace, available services, ideal climate and proximity to North County business and recreation centers make Ramona Airport an ideal destination for work or pleasure.

If you are familiar with the sport of Drag Racing, it will interest you to know that the very first, official 1/4-mile drag strip was opened at the Ramona Airport nearly 60 years ago.  Now just an airport service road, remnants of the old strip still remain.

Serving every type aircraft from home build experimentals to corporate jets, the Ramona Airport is home to a fully staffed Air Traffic Control Tower, 3 full service FBOs, an avionics center, an aircraft service center, 9 aviation businesses, a full time Airport Manager and the world's only Helicopter museum with operational helicopters.  One of the community's biggest events is the Ramona Air Show, benefiting the families of fallen CDF pilots and firefighters.  The Ramona Air Show will typically host between 10,000 and 20,000 visitors.

Aviation Information:

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